Endocrinologist-Perceived Factors Affecting The Transition Of Thyroid Cancer Patients From Specialist To Primary Care Postcancer Treatment In Ontario, Canada

Background: Thyroid cancer patient discharge patterns from specialists are heterogeneous, with some specialists following patients for a longer period of time than others. With no well-established transitional plan, such as in breast and colorectal cancer, primary care physicians play a variable role in long-term thyroid cancer care. The objective of this study was to examine endocrinologist-perceived factors affecting the transition of care for thyroid cancer patients through a qualitative and quantitative survey of practicing endocrinologists in Ontario, Canada.Methods: All eligible practicing endocrinologists in Ontario were invited to participate in the study, via an email with an embedded survey link. Consent was assumed if the physician completed the survey. The survey collected physician demographics and asked a series of Likert-scale and open-ended questions on their views regarding transitioning care of their thyroid cancer patients. Quantitative analysis was based on mode and variability. Qualitative analysis was completed using inductive thematic analysis.Results: Seventy physicians completed the survey, with a response rate of 35.5%. Based on the responses to the Likert-scale questions, there was a lack of consensus in terms of discharging criteria for patients who had low-risk papillary thyroid cancer, stable thyrotropin levels, multiple nonthyroid-related comorbidities, and hemithyroidectomy with no disease recurrence. The majority of endocrinologists responded that the main factors affecting discharge included whether the primary care physician was able to follow their recommendations, whether the primary care physician could appropriately adjust levothyroxine doses, and whether the patient was confident that their primary care physician could manage their thyroid cancer follow-up. Themes extracted from the open-ended question also indicated that the main factors affecting the transition of care were related to the primary care physician, the patient, the imaging interpretation, and the discharge guidelines.Conclusion: The lack of consensus among endocrinologists affects the transition of patient care, and there is a need to provide clear and accurate information to primary care physicians and thyroid cancer patients on postcancer treatment care. Efforts should be sought to standardize discharge and long-term care.